1961 Formula One season

1961 FIA Formula One World Championship season Previous: 1960 Next: 1962 Index: Races by country | Races by season

The 1961 Formula One season was the 12th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and the 1961 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers, which were contested concurrently from May 14 to October 8 over an eight race series. The season also included numerous non-championship races for Formula One cars.

Phil Hill of Ferrari won his only Driver's Championship after his teammate and rival Wolfgang von Trips was killed at the Italian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season. Ferrari won its first F1 manufacturers' title.

Season summary

The first year of the 1.5-litre formula was dominated by a well-prepared Ferrari team. Only Stirling Moss, in an outdated Lotus, was able to beat the Ferraris on two tracks where his skills offset the Ferrari power advantage. Giancarlo Baghetti in a privately-entered Ferrari won the French Grand Prix on his championship debut, the only driver to have done so other than Nino Farina, winner of the first F1 World Championship race. Baghetti had also won his only two previous Formula One races, the non-championship events at Syracuse and Naples, but the French race was his only win in the World Championship. The contest for the championship between Ferrari's leading drivers, Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips, ended in tragedy when von Trips collided with Jim Clark at Monza, killing the Ferrari driver and 14 spectators. Hill went on to win the championship, the first American to do so. With the change of formula and the introduction of the United States Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 was dropped from the championship.

The number of points awarded to a race winner was increased to nine for the World Championship of Drivers.

Season review

The following eight races counted towards the World Championship of Drivers and the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.

Rnd	Race	Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning driver	Constructor	Tyre	Report
1	Monaco Grand Prix	Monaco	May 14	Stirling Moss	Richie Ginther Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	D	Report
2	Dutch Grand Prix	Zandvoort	May 22	Phil Hill	Jim Clark	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	D	Report
3	Belgian Grand Prix	Spa-Francorchamps	June 18	Phil Hill	Richie Ginther	Phil Hill	Ferrari	D	Report
4	French Grand Prix	Reims	July 2	Phil Hill	Phil Hill	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	D	Report
5	British Grand Prix	Aintree	July 15	Phil Hill	Tony Brooks	Wolfgang von Trips	Ferrari	D	Report
6	German Grand Prix	Nürburgring	August 6	Phil Hill	Phil Hill	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	D	Report
7	Italian Grand Prix	Monza	September 10	Wolfgang von Trips	Giancarlo Baghetti	Phil Hill	Ferrari	D	Report
8	United States Grand Prix	Watkins Glen	October 8	Jack Brabham	Jack Brabham	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	D	Report

Teams and drivers

The following teams and drivers competed in the 1961 FIA World Championship.

Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Driver	Rounds
Porsche System Engineering	Porsche	787 718/2	Porsche 547/6 1.5 F4	D	Jo Bonnier	All
					Dan Gurney	All
					Hans Herrmann	1, 6
Scuderia Colonia	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Michael May	1, 4, 6
					Wolfgang Seidel	3, 5–7
Equipe Nationale Belge	Emeryson Lotus	61 18	Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4 Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Lucien Bianchi	1, 3
					Olivier Gendebien	1
					Willy Mairesse	3
					André Pilette	7
Camoradi International	Cooper Lotus	T53 18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Masten Gregory	1–5
					Ian Burgess	2–6
Owen Racing Organisation	BRM	P48/57	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Tony Brooks	All
					Graham Hill	All
R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Lotus Ferguson	18 18/21 21 P99	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Stirling Moss	All
					Jack Fairman	5
Yeoman Credit Racing Team	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	John Surtees	All
					Roy Salvadori	4–8
Cooper Car Company	Cooper	T55 T58	Climax FPF 1.5 L4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	D	Jack Brabham	All
					Bruce McLaren	All
Team Lotus	Lotus	21 18 18/21	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Jim Clark	All
					Innes Ireland	1, 3–8
					Trevor Taylor	2
					Willy Mairesse	4
UDT Laystall Racing Team	Lotus	18 18/21	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Cliff Allison	1, 3
					Henry Taylor	1, 3–5, 7
					Lucien Bianchi	4–5
					Juan Manuel Bordeu	4
					Masten Gregory	7–8
Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC	Ferrari	156	Ferrari 178 1.5 V6	D	Richie Ginther	1–7
					Phil Hill	1–7
					Wolfgang von Trips	1–7
					Olivier Gendebien	3
					Willy Mairesse	6
					Ricardo Rodríguez	7
Scuderia Serenissima	Cooper De Tomaso	T51 F1	Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4 OSCA 372 1.5 L4 Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4	D	Maurice Trintignant	1, 3–4, 6–7
					Giorgio Scarlatti	4
					Nino Vaccarella	7
Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche	718	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4	D	Carel Godin de Beaufort	2–7
					Hans Herrmann	2
H&L Motors	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Jackie Lewis	3–7
Tony Marsh	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Tony Marsh	3, 5–6
Scuderia Centro Sud	Cooper	T53 T51	Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4	D	Lorenzo Bandini	3, 5–7
					Massimo Natili	5, 7
FISA	Ferrari	156	Ferrari 178 1.5 V6	D	Giancarlo Baghetti	4
Bernard Collomb	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Bernard Collomb	4, 6
Tim Parnell	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Tim Parnell	5, 7
Gerry Ashmore	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Gerry Ashmore	5–7
Louise Bryden-Brown	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Tony Maggs	5–6
Gilby Engineering	Gilby	61	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Keith Greene	5
Scuderia Sant'Ambroeus	Ferrari	156	Ferrari 178 1.5 V6	D	Giancarlo Baghetti	5, 7
J.B. Naylor	JBW	59	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Brian Naylor	7
Fred Tuck Cars	Cooper	T45	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Jack Fairman	7
Scuderia Settecolli	De Tomaso	F1	OSCA 372 1.5 L4	D	Roberto Lippi	7
Isobele de Tomaso	De Tomaso	F1	Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.5 L4	D	Roberto Bussinello	7
Pescara Racing Team	Cooper	T45	Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4	D	Renato Pirocchi	7
Gaetano Starrabba	Lotus	18	Maserati 6-1500 1.5 L4	D	Gaetano Starrabba	7
Hap Sharp	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Hap Sharp	8
John M. Wyatt III	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Roger Penske	8
J. Wheeler Autosport	Lotus	18/21	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Peter Ryan	8
Jim Hall	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Jim Hall	8
J. Frank Harrison	Lotus	18	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Lloyd Ruby	8
Momo Corporation	Cooper	T53	Climax FPF 1.5 L4	D	Walt Hansgen	8

1961 World Championship of Drivers – final standings

Pos. Driver MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA Pts. 1 Phil Hill 3 2 1 9 2 3 1 34 (38) 2 Wolfgang von Trips 4 1 2 Ret 1 2 Ret 33 3 Stirling Moss 1 4 8 Ret Ret 1 Ret Ret 21 4 Dan Gurney 5 10 6 2 7 7 2 2 21 5 Richie Ginther 2 5 3 15 3 8 Ret 16 6 Innes Ireland Ret 4 10 Ret Ret 1 12 7 Jim Clark 10 3 12 3 Ret 4 Ret 7 11 8 Bruce McLaren 6 12 Ret 5 8 6 3 4 11 9 Giancarlo Baghetti 1 Ret Ret 9 10 Tony Brooks 13 9 13 Ret 9 Ret 5 3 6 11 Jack Brabham Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 Ret Ret Ret 4 12 John Surtees 11 7 5 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret 4 13 Jackie Lewis 9 Ret Ret 9 4 3 14 Olivier Gendebien DNQ 4 11 3 15 Joakim Bonnier 12 11 7 7 5 Ret Ret 6 3 16 Graham Hill Ret 8 Ret 6 Ret Ret Ret 5 3 17 Roy Salvadori 8 6 10 6 Ret 2 — Maurice Trintignant 7 Ret 13 Ret 9 0 — Carel Godin de Beaufort 14 11 Ret 16 14 7 0 — Lorenzo Bandini Ret 12 Ret 8 0 — Cliff Allison 8 0 — Roger Penske 8 0 — Hans Herrmann 9 15 13 0 — Peter Ryan 9 0 — Masten Gregory DNQ 10 12 11 Ret Ret 0 — Henry Taylor DNQ 10 Ret 11 0 — Tim Parnell Ret 10 0 — Hap Sharp 10 0 — Tony Maggs 13 11 0 — Michael May Ret 11 0 — Ian Burgess DNS DNS 14 14 12 0 — Renato Pirocchi 12 0 — Trevor Taylor 13 0 — Tony Marsh DNQ Ret 15 0 — Keith Greene 15 0 — Gerry Ashmore Ret 16 Ret 0 — Wolfgang Seidel DNQ 17 Ret Ret 0 — Bernard Collomb Ret NC 0 — Lucien Bianchi DNQ Ret Ret Ret 0 — Willy Mairesse Ret Ret Ret 0 — Jack Fairman DSQ Ret 0 — Giorgio Scarlatti Ret 0 — Massimo Natili Ret 0 — Ricardo Rodríguez Ret 0 — Gaetano Starrabba Ret 0 — Nino Vaccarella Ret 0 — Roberto Bussinello Ret 0 — Brian Naylor Ret 0 — Roberto Lippi Ret 0 — Jim Hall Ret 0 — Lloyd Ruby Ret 0 — Walt Hansgen Ret 0 — André Pilette DNQ 0 Pos. Driver MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA Pts.

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Light blue Practiced only (PO) Friday test driver (TD) (from 2003 onwards) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrew entry before the event (WD)

• Only the best 5 results counted towards the Championship. Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
• Italics indicate fastest lap
• Bold indicates pole position

1961 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers – final standings

Points were awarded on an 8-6-4-3-2-1 basis to the first six finishers at each race. However a manufacturer only received points for its highest placed car and only the best five results from the eight races were retained.

Pos.	Manufacturer	MON	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA	Pts
1	Ferrari	2	1	1	1	1	2	1	WD	40 (52)
2	Lotus-Climax	1	3	8	3	10	1	10	1	32
3	Porsche	5	10	6	2	5	7	2	2	22 (23)
4	Cooper-Climax	6	6	5	5	4	5	3	4	14 (18)
5	BRM-Climax	13	8	13	6	9	Ret	5	3	7
—	Cooper-Maserati	7		Ret	13	12	Ret	8		0
—	Gilby-Climax					15				0
—	Ferguson-Climax					DSQ				0
—	De Tomaso-OSCA				Ret			Ret		0
—	Lotus-Maserati							Ret		0
—	De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo						WD	Ret		0
—	JBW-Climax				WD			Ret		0
—	Emeryson-Maserati	DNQ				WD		DNQ		0
Pos.	Manufacturer	MON	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA

• Only the best 5 results counted towards the title. Numbers without parentheses are nett points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
• Bold results counted to nett totals.

Non-Championship races review

Other Formula One races also held in 1961, which did not count towards the World Championship.

Race Name	Circuit	Date	Winning driver	Constructor	Report
II Lombank Trophy	Snetterton	March 26	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report
IX Glover Trophy	Goodwood	April 3	John Surtees	Cooper-Climax	Report
XXI Pau Grand Prix	Pau	April 3	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Report
III Brussels Grand Prix	Heysel	April 9	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report
II Vienna Grand Prix	Aspern Aerodrome	April 16	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	Report
VI Aintree 200	Aintree	April 22	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Report
XI Syracuse Grand Prix	Syracuse	April 25	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	Report
XIX Naples Grand Prix	Posillipo	May 14	Giancarlo Baghetti	Ferrari	Report
IX London Trophy	Crystal Palace	May 23	Roy Salvadori	Cooper-Climax	Report
VI Silver City Trophy	Brands Hatch	June 3	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	Report
Solitude Grand Prix	Solitudering	July 23	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	Report
VII Kanonloppet	Karlskoga	August 20	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	Report
II Danish Grand Prix	Roskildering	August 26–27	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	Report
XV Modena Grand Prix	Modena	September 3	Stirling Moss	Lotus-Climax	Report
III Flugplatzrennen	Zeltweg Airfield	September 17	Innes Ireland	Lotus-Climax	Report
VIII Gold Cup	Oulton Park	September 23	Stirling Moss	Ferguson-Climax	Report
V Lewis-Evans Trophy	Brands Hatch	October 1	Tony Marsh	BRM-Climax	Report
I Coppa Italia	Vallelunga	October 12	Giancarlo Baghetti	Porsche	Report
V Rand Grand Prix	Kyalami	December 9	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Report
I Natal Grand Prix	Westmead	December 17	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Report
VIII South African Grand Prix	East London	December 26	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Report

Non-Championship race results

Driver LOM GLV PAU BRX VIE AIN SYR NAP LON SIL SOL KAN DAN MOD FLG OUL LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA Stirling Moss 4 7 1 Ret 8 1 Ret 1 1 1 1 2 2 Jim Clark 6 1 Ret 9 6 2 7 Ret 7 4 4 Ret 1 1 1 Jack Brabham 1 Ret 1 1 4 Ret 5 Ret Ret 5 2 2 Jo Bonnier 2 Ret WD 3 11 2 2 2 3 WD 3 3 3 Cliff Allison 2 8 5 15 WD 8 WD John Surtees 3 1 Ret 4 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret 10 Ret Henry Taylor 4 6 Ret Ret WD 2 8 4 Ret 8 Roy Salvadori 5 3 Ret 8 5 7 1 4 4 3 Ret Ret Ret Tim Parnell 7 6 Ret 8 7 5 5 DNQ 7 Ret 3 Shane Summers 8 Ret DNQ 8 12 4 DNS George Morgan Ret 12 Ret WD Innes Ireland Ret 5 9 10 Ret 1 Ret 2 DNQ 1 Ret Brian Naylor Ret WD Ret WD 9 Ret Bernard Collomb Ret WD 4 Ret 6 9 Ret Ret Graham Eden Ret 6 18 DNS Ret Ret 5 John Langton Ret 11 Jack Fairman WD DNS Geoff Richardson WD John Campbell-Jones WD 10 10 WD Ret 6 12 WD WD 7 Keith Greene WD 11 13 Ret WD Ret 6 4 Gerry Ashmore WD Ret 11 2 WD Graham Hill 2 3 NC 13 7 Ret Tony Marsh 7 3 7 3 6 Ret 7 1 Bruce Halford 9 Ret WD Tony Brooks Ret 17 Ret 3 6 4 Lloyd Casner DNS WD DNS Lorenzo Bandini 3 7 3 Ret 11 Mário Cabral 4 Jack Lewis 5 DNQ 6 7 Ret DNQ WD Ret WD Jo Schlesser 7 DNQ WD 8 Maurice Trintignant Ret DNS Ret Ret WD DNQ Trevor Taylor Ret Ret 19 9 9 Ret 2 Ret Ret Wolfgang Seidel Ret Ret 2 WD 10 5 Ret Ret WD DNQ Ret 10 Olivier Gendebien Ret Ret WD Lucien Bianchi Ret 4 Ret WD Ian Burgess Ret 6 DSQ 4 WD 5 6 WD André Wicky Ret DNA Gino Munaron Ret DNQ François Santé DNS DNQ Masten Gregory WD 5 Ret Ret 5 Ret Ret Ret Wolfgang von Trips WD Ret WD Bruce McLaren 2 2 WD Ret 4 3 Ernesto Prinoth 3 DNQ 9 WD Ret 2 Menato Boffa 5 9 Ret DNQ WD Ronald Wrenn 7 Giuseppe Maugeri WD DNQ DNQ Ret 10 "Wal Ever" WD DNQ DNQ Dan Gurney Ret 14 2 5 3 3 WD André Pilette Ret 16 DNQ WD 9 Peter Procter Ret Michael May Ret Ret Ret WD Willy Mairesse 8 WD 11 WD Giancarlo Baghetti 1 1 1 Renato Pirocchi 12 DNQ DNQ 11 Massimo Natili Ret DNQ Richie Ginther WD Giorgio Scarlatti WD Ret Roberto Bussinello 5 Ret Ret 4 Giovanni Alberti Ret Alan Trow 10 Ret Klaas Twisk Ret Mauro Bianchi Ret WD DNQ Hans Herrmann 6 Edgar Barth 8 4 4 5 Mike Spence Ret 2 Carel Godin de Beaufort Ret Ret DNQ 6 Piero Monteverdi Ret Peter Arundell DNS Phil Hill WD Geoff Duke Ret Ulf Norinder Ret Carl Hammarlund Ret Yngve Roqvist WD Nino Vaccarella DNQ 3 Roberto Lippi DNQ 5 Gaetano Starrabba DNQ 8 Gastone Zanarotti DNQ Alan Markelson WD David Piper 11 Chris Summers 12 5 Chris Ashmore Ret Ret Roger Revol DNA Dickie Stoop 8 Hugh Dibley 9 Peter Proctor Ret Maurice Charles Ret Albino Buticchi 6 Lucien de Sanctis 7 Elio Pandolfo 9 Rovero Campello Ret Ludovico Scarfiotti WD Bruce Johnstone 5 Ret DNS Ernie Pieterse 6 Ret Ret Syd van der Vyver 7 5 6 Fanie Viljoen 8 Ret Ret Bob van Niekerk 9 Ret 9 Doug Serrurier 10 6 7 Bruce Jennings 11 9 12 Sam Tingle Ret Ret 8 Bernard Podmore Ret WD Ret Helmut Menzler Ret Ret 10 John Guthrie Ret 10 13 Tony Maggs Ret Ret 4 Bill Dunlop Ret WD Ret Don Philp Ret Ret 14 Rauten Hartmann Ret Gene Bosman Ret WD Ret Jack Holme Ret WD Trevor Blokdyk Ret 8 Clive Trundell Ret WD Ret Adrian Pheiffer DNS 7 11 Neville Lederle WD Ret John Love WD DNS WD Dawie Gous WD Dave Wright Ret 15 Gordon Henderson WD Notes External links 1961 images at the Cahier Archive